The Greying Elements
by tomification
Summary: In the Autumn of their lives the mane six are asked to resolve one final problem for Equestia. As they make their way to it, one by one they re-live the unpleasantness that led to the harsh divide in their group.
1. One Last Time

MLP:FIM Fanfiction

If any of you have read my other two MLP:FIM fanfics, you will know they were just one-shots, this however will be a multi-chaptered fic. Basically the story in this prologue chapter is deliberately vague, then the next six chapters will piece together the story from each of the mane six's points of view, then there will be one or two chapters to conclude. Don't expect this chapter to be great, I write much better when I'm doing inner monologues which the bulk of this story will consist of, but I had to set the story, anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Tomification

The Greying Elements – Chapter 1 – One last Time

Twilight had heard the songbird before she had seen it, she heard its incessant chirping, they always got on her nerves. It flew toward the window, and proceeded to smash into the polished glass. With much effort the purple mare pulled herself out of her old chair, and ambled toward the window. It was easier to use magic to nudge open the pane of glass than to even attempt to use her hooves. The years of quiet study and reading had meant that Twilight had never been the most mobile of ponies, but in her old age, as her body had begun the inevitable process of failing her, she rather missed the act of getting up not taking all of her energy. The bird flew in through the now open window, and dropped an immaculately rolled parchment on Twilight's desk.

She trudged back to her chair, only to notice her feathered visitor hadn't left. The memory activated and she remembered the standard procedure for post-birds, she opened her purse and slipped on bit into the pouch that was buckled to the underside of the bird's stomach. The whole practise of using avian postmen was very recent, and considering how rare it was that anyone contacted her, the information wasn't important enough to be prevalent in Twilight's mind. The songbird flew out of the window, and Twilight unrolled the scroll, she instantly recognised the elegant script.

_Dearest Twilight Sparkle, My Faithful Student._

_It has been a while since your last letter, however I was fascinated by your thesis on the theoretical catalysts involved in unsustainable cold fusion reactions, I'm sure your findings will only give us more insight into the way our world works. I am writing to ask your presence her in Canterlot at your earliest convenience to discuss a matter of grave importance. _

_Hoping to see you soon,_

_Your ever-proud teacher_

_Celestia._

Twilight set the parchment down, she could feel nervousness building up in her stomach, Celestia hadn't used the term, 'grave importance' since the discord fiasco, and that was thirty-two years ago. The aged mare had rather been hoping she could live out her final couple of decades in peace, but this parchment was a very realistic threat to said dream. However, her princess had requested her presence, and student or not, Twilight was still her subject.

With a magenta glow of her horn, items began moving around the room; however not at the pace they would have once moved, as she slowed physically, her magic had become a more taxing activity. Nothing was as effortless anymore, and in these thirty years by herself, things had become more and more difficult. Maybe if they had stayed as such, her friends would've helped her out, maybe if he was still around, her number one assistant would have aided her packing. Even the gentle hoot of the late Owloysius seemed like a distant memory, like a summer night's dream not bold enough to leave a lasting impression.

However, as she had for three decades, Twilight got sorted by herself, she finished filling the suitcase with necessities and got up. She hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary, only writing up a few findings, so with another red-purple glow her supplies moved into the draw of her desk. She took a look around, wondering if she should wait until tomorrow to depart, but the point seemed rather…well pointless. She barely ever associated with anyone and had no close friends, her older brother was in Canterlot anyway and her parents were dead, as was Owloysius, and Spike was long gone.

Aside from this tree, which would survive independent of Twilight's presence, she had literally no significant living things in her life that would worry or care about her absence. So, after having answered her own question in an unnecessarily round-about and soul-crushing way, Twilight decided that no, there was no need to wait for tomorrow to come.

She opened the door to her house, stopping to blow out the candles before she left, she couldn't afford these new light bulbs on her pension. She saw Sweetie-Belle laughing with her two friends, a microphone cutie-mark adorned her pale flank, Twilight pondered how they had stayed close all these years. However such thoughts had no bearing on her current situation, and as such she couldn't allow herself to become distracted by them. Twilight trotted steadily through ponyville, seeing the ramshackle carousel shop, it used to be a boutique before the…well it used to be a boutique.

She saw the massive spa, underneath its extension, the ground looked ever so slightly blackened, they never could ever make sugar cube corner's locale look normal again, to be honest it was a massive relief when the spa sisters purchased the ground. The unicorn was near the station now, she regarded the path that once led to sweet apple acres, an old dirt road in well need of upkeep, but there was no point in anyone paying it any attention now.

Twilight reached the airship docking station, there was no time for anything as inefficient as trains in today's Equestria. After paying the conductor her fare, she took her seat, one by the window; one of the few things she took pleasure in nowadays was to see Equestria's sweeping panoramas and gorgeous vistas. However, as she sat, a chore that took far too much effort, she froze. Two rows in front of her she could make out some light pink hair.

Twilight's own mane had begun to dull in colour; it was no longer the striking purple it had once been. The same could be said for all of her former friends, on the rare occasions she saw them around the village, they had all aged visibly, she couldn't say the same for Applejack of course, but Twilight bet the years had taken a visible toll on her too. They hobbled rather than trotted, they had wrinkles and all of their manes were greying, except Fluttershy. Twilight didn't see Fluttershy much, ever since the…_unpleasantness_ she appeared outside less and less.

But despite the stress she had experienced, Twilight had to admit the years had been exceptionally kind to her, and there was nopony around with that mane colour. What the hell was she doing coming to Canterlot, she could barely leave her cottage anymore. However Twilight was lucky, the mare clearly hadn't noticed her, and come to think of it, even if Fluttershy did see the purple mare, it's not like she'd talk to her, Fluttershy never talked to anypony. Twilight sat back and tried to relax, but as the soothing views and gentle rocking of the airship lulled her into a sleep, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

* * *

"Madame…Madame? Wake up Madame," Twilight awoke with a start, the conductor had his hoof on her shoulder and was gently shaking her.

"I'm up…OK I'm up!" She snapped at him, he looked affronted for a second, but he tried to help her out of her seat regardless, something that she shook off rudely. He left her, and trotted down the aisle, muttering something about 'Damn OAP's'. Twilight took a look around, and to her relief, Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. Twilight wasted no time, whatever it was the princess wanted she would rather just get it sorted and get on with being alone.

She knew the paths of Canterlot well, and so it was not hard to find the way to the palace gates. Hard however was not the same as effortful, it had taken her the best part of an hour to make a journey she could have made in fifteen minutes in her younger days. The guards recognised her, and they signalled for the massive doors to open, Twilight said a quick thanks and slowly walked into the great hall. At its end she saw two large Alicorns, one white and the other a dark blue. Princess Celestia noticed Twilight and quickly moved to meet her in the middle of the grand chamber.

"Twilight you're here," She spoke as if her student's presence was unexpected. Twilight took the handle of her pulling suitcase out of her mouth and responded,

"You asked me to meet you Princess," Her mentor chuckled slightly "On a matter of grave importance," Twilight reminded.

"Twilight I sent that letter only this morning, I didn't expect you up today. The matter is important but it hasn't become a catastrophe yet, although I'm sure if it left unchecked it will."

"Princess, what is this matter?" The princess only chuckled warmly again,

"It can wait until tomorrow Twilight, I have a spare chamber you can use until the morning, when we will discuss it properly," The alicorn signalled for a guard to come,

"Take this bag to where Twilight will be staying tonight please," he nodded and Twilight started to follow him.

"Is there really no way we can discuss it now Princess,"

"Oh my no, the others haven't even arrived yet," Twilight froze, she had been doing that a lot today, she wheeled around but the princess was already starting to head back to her throne.

Twilight had trouble sleeping that night, first Fluttershy on the airship, and then the princess saying there are others? This couldn't be coincidence, could it? She didn't want to see them again; she couldn't, after what happened, after where they left it. Twilight consoled herself with the knowledge that if it even was them, they would probably want to get everything done as quickly as possible as well; there was no need for extended contact. But the damage of over-thinking was done, Twilight dreamt that night, it was a dream that hadn't plagued her for years, but the wound had never healed. Re-experiencing it in her psyche was like a fresh layer of salt added to the tender gash, one that hadn't bothered her for nearly thirty years.

* * *

She was awoken by a knocking on the door; it was too fast and reckless to be a guard, or any inhabitant of Canterlot for that matter. Twilight groggily pulled herself out of bed and moved to the source of the offending noise. When the purple mare opened the door, her jaw dropped. The years had taken a visible toll (as Twilight had predicted), her blonde mane was dull and her orange coat was thinning, all the years of bucking trees had given her a funny stance, as if her hind legs couldn't take the weight of her body. She still was wearing her Stetson as she always did, and surprisingly she was smiling, albeit meekly but the grin was undoubtedly present.

"Erm…hi…Twilight," her country accent was much less prevalent, where she had been must have been a larger place than quaint, old ponyville.

"Applejack? What are you doing here?" Her query hadn't sounded particularly friendly; Twilight didn't know whether she had even meant it to in the first place.

"Same reason that you're here, I got a letter from the Princess," That confirmed it, they were all going to be here, Twilight did not need this sort of thing, not now, not at her age.

"…I asked the guards where you were, I thought that maybe, we could catch up," she offered the unicorn a smile, needless to say she did not receive the same kindness.

"You want to catch up do you? You took your sweet time about it," Twilight spat, Applejack looked down in shame.

"Twilight, I know it's been a while but-"

"It's been a while? No, two weeks is 'a while', when you meet a pony on the street who's just a causal acquaintance, you say 'it's been a while' thirty years is not 'a while'!" Twilight had found that she was shouting at her ex-friend, in all of these years, she hadn't considered just how much it hurt.

"Twilight…what do you want me to do?" Applejack looked so desperate, almost pathetic.

"Just do what you want, you're good at that," with that she slammed the door in Applejack's face.

The guard had said Celestia had insisted they all get a round of breakfast, it may have sounded caring, but Twilight knew the thinking behind such a gesture, they were all old, and no-one wanted them dropping dead during the briefing. Twilight entered the castle's dining hall, lo and behold; they were all there, and all at different tables.

Applejack was sat in the middle; she probably wanted one of her old friends to sit near her, to no avail though. She was eating her food and sniffling occasionally, she looked as if she may burst into tears any moment, Twilight almost felt sorry for her…almost. Pinkie Pie was the only one not sitting, she was picking a couple of pieces of toast off the display in the centre of the room, the pink pony completely disregarded the delicious looking sweets tray. Surprisingly she sat at the same table as Applejack, much to the happiness of the orange mare. How no attempt to converse was made, Applejack didn't want to scare away her visitor and Pinkie, she just looked kept brushing her straight, thin mane out of her eyes. Rainbow Dash was sat with her back to everyone else, she the one most likely to sit away from everyone due to her resentment.

The years of hatred and anger hadn't been kind to her. Her mane was thinned ridiculously and her one remaining wing was weak and lame from decades of inactivity, Twilight didn't like looking at the stump where her right wing used to be, it brought up too many unpleasant memories. She was hunched over her porridge, and even managed to look bitter while eating it. Rarity was looking like her usual dishevelled and unkempt self, her mane was still thick, but it was stuck up in all different directions, it was very likely she hadn't looked in a mirror since getting up. Her coat would still be white if it weren't for the layer of dust and dirt in it, it was matted and ugly looking. She had chosen to sit nearest to the entrance and was eating dry cereal with no milk, probably just because it took the least effort.

Finally Fluttershy, her thick and vibrant mane confirmed it was her on the airship yesterday, she barely looked one decade older, let alone three. She was sat in the corner, alone as she preferred, and she wasn't eating, but she did have a very weak tea, which she was stirring, over and over again, it seemed very unlikely she would even make an attempt to drink it. Twilight hobbled to the spread to get a salad, her entrance was met with mixed reactions; Applejack gave her a weak smile whereas Pinkie just looked up, sighed, and then got back to her food.

Rainbow Dash turned, glowered, and then furiously got back to attacking her porridge, Rarity was not at all so animated, she simply looked and then down, over the years she had perfected doing things in the least animated way possible. Fluttershy gave her no reaction, she didn't react to anything, so much so that when the guard arrived, announcing Celestia was ready for them he had to go over to her and help her out of the seat. They all followed the guard; the first to break the heavily uncomfortable silence was Applejack.

"So, Pinkie-" she was cut off by Pinkie, who spoke as if she was giving a eulogy.

"It's Pinkamena," Applejack blinked a couple of times, if memory served right the party-pony hated the name Pinkamena.

"Ok Pinkamena, thrown any of your famous parties recently?"

"No" Pinkie replied in the same funeral drone.

"Oh, why's that?" It was not Pinkie Pie who replied; rather it was Rainbow Dash in her permanently fuming state.

"Oh for Celestia's sake, just shut the buck up," Applejack looked wounded, and momentarily she looked to Twilight, perhaps for some comfort, she got none.

They entered the grand hall as Twilight did yesterday; Celestia and Luna were stood, ready to meet them. The latter had grown to be the same size as her sister now, and after decades of proving it to Equestria, she was no longer feared or hated, rather she had the same amount of love and respect as the white Alicorn beside her. Regardless of the fact that it was very unintentional, when the two sisters were together they looked so imposing, to translucent manes moving and glistening in time. Two enormous feathery wings spread and two long horns, practically sparkling with power.

The six bowed, all in their own tin-pot ways, Applejack tried to look formal but her country ways, no matter how much they had faded still made her exaggerate the gesture. Rainbow Dash instinctively splayed her wings…or wing, as a Pegasus did in such a situation, but she still looked furious as her muzzle touched the ground. Pinkie, as she usually did, looked like she had just seen fifteen puppies die when she made a sombre bow, and Rarity, ever-apathetic, more or less just fell into a heap on the floor. Fluttershy didn't bow, she just stared forlornly, however the two Alicorns didn't seemed bothered by this. Twilight was the only one who didn't make the action look impossible, a curt and dignified lowering of her head more than sufficed.

"Well, it has been a very long time since we have all been together for a matter such as this, hasn't it?"

"Thirty-two years," Twilight pointed out, to be met with a venous muttering of 'know-it-all from Rainbow Dash. Luna shot the cyan pegasus a disapproving look that went unnoticed,

"We have called you here today because a threat is moving towards here. Ponies from all over Equestria have told us of its danger, the only problem is, nopony has seen it face to face, they only talk of a massive shadow that blocks out the sun. The pegasi couldn't get close, my royal guard have travelled to try and bring it down with no avail. The unicorn's magic has been powerless; nothing we have tried has worked. So the pegasi have set up a massive cloud net in Fillydelphia, and the unicorns have fused magic into it, we know it will be forced to land there, and we want you to be waiting."

"Princess, why would you need us there," Twilight queried.

"We cannot be too careful about this," it was Luna who spoke this time, "Whatever this is Twilight Sparkle, it is something we have not seen the likes of before, we cannot rule out the possibility that we may need the elements or harmony to overcome this threat." Twilight narrowed her eyes, she was sure friendship somehow related to the elements, it had been so long, she could barely remember anymore.

"In which case we want you there," The six mares looked amongst each other, well Twilight and Applejack did, the others were too sad/furious/not-bothered/in-a-waking-coma to do so. Twilight's eyes met with Applejack's for a second, and they both looked anxious; however Twilight immediately grew uncomfortable and looked away.

"We know things have changed, but Equestria could be in mortal danger, we need you at the cloud net as soon as possible, your airship sets off this evening. If you can help us this one last time, you will have earned the right to rest, as you have many times already. We know this is hard, but it is necessary, so we thank you, and wish you the best of luck," with that the two Alicorns turned away, it seemed the discussion was very much over. In their own time each mare ambled away, to prepare, and in Twilight's case, worry. In these past three decades Celestia and Luna hadn't needed their help for any crisis, and there had been a fair few.

Whatever this threat was, it must have been great, even Equestria's immortal rulers knew not what it was, and that worried the purple unicorn. However, the six mares were still the elements of harmony, even if their relationship had gone sour to say the least, they still had a duty to the kingdom. Twilight still had niggling doubts, she could swear friendship had something to do with the Elements, but it could've just been her old mind tricking her. But if Celestia and Luna thought it to be the best, then it had to be for the best, and after all, maybe helping Equestria wouldn't be such a bad thing, as long as it was this one, last time.

* * *

Chapter 2 is to follow which will cover Applejack's story, in the mean time please Read and Review, but definitely enjoy.


	2. The Element of Guilt

MLP:FIM Fanfiction

**Please Read!** The story for the next few chapters will have each of the mane six's accounts of the events that led up to the splitting of their friendship. Each will have a new element showing their current situation, however I want to do it in order. Basically not all of Applejack's part will be able to be revealed in this chapter because the events follow a particular order, one that I don't want to upset. I decided to put Applejack's part first as it is admittedly the least interesting, and it is likely to be the longest as it has the most complicated plot. Twilight and Rarity are the only ones who didn't have something tragic befall them, so whereas some stories may be wrapped up in the character's respective chapter, Rarity's and finally Twilight's chapter will wrap everything up and provide the finale. However when the last character's chapter has finished, there will be a couple more chapters to wrap up this particular arc. So all in all, whereas to some this chapter may raise more questions than it answers, everything will eventually be revealed, even if it's not in the concordant characters chapter. Finally a lot of this takes part in the past, I was originally going to write that in italic, but it would result in too much of the chapter being in italic and this made it quite hard to read, so it starts off in the present, and then a jump between narratives in the past and present and vice versa is indicated by a line.

Tomification

The Greying Elements – Chapter 2 – The Element of Guilt

Applejack had never liked these new airships, they were rickety, went high, and were basically massive hotels suspended by a balloon. That was enough to make anypony despise them in her opinion, well any logical pony. However as a furious Rainbow Dash, a mournful Pinkie…Pinkamena, a dishevelled Rarity and however one would describe Fluttershy boarded the airship, she found herself in want of logical ponies. Applejack had really thought Twilight would have listened to her side of the story because after all she was the most pragmatic, she could usually keep her emotions out of matters.

But then again Applejack had been away for thirty years, she didn't know what had changed. She didn't feel totally at fault, after all could anyone blame her for leaving, after what happened that night there was literally no point in staying anymore. It was one event after another, they all led to a boil festering, Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash's accident, what happened to the cakes, the Sorrow and then finally when Rarity gave up. There was no way it couldn't have happened that night, it simply had to, all that tension, all that animosity, everything had to crack at some point and that was the perfect time for it to happen. Those two years were hell, and for Applejack it had started early, on a crisp winter morning.

* * *

Applejack got up first, she always did, there was always something to do at sweet apple acres and today was no exception. Apple-bucking season was over, and through the winter they simply grew and sold what they could. It would be a hard day, so Applejack had decided to make breakfast for her family. She retrieved a collection of pots from the cupboard and started to make porridge, they were going to need the energy. Another day working the frigid ground didn't sound like the most appealing thing in the world at all, but it was a necessary chore. After she finished cooking, Applejack observed the fragrant steam floating up the stairs, as if beckoning her family members to come down.

Sure enough, the steady sound hooves rang out, her brother and sister entered the kitchen, and after hastily thanking her they tucked eagerly into the meals Applejack had prepared. However something was wrong, one seat was unoccupied, normally that would not be so odd, Granny Smith was very old and sometimes she needed a lie-in, but never when there was porridge at the table. No matter how simple and even bland the concoction was, just the smell of it could usually have Granny Smith dancing down to the kitchen. Applejack trotted up the staircase, she made her way to her grandmother's room and tapped on the door tentatively. There was no reply, Applejack opened the door a crack, and immediately sensed something was wrong, the curtains were drawn, and the room's occupant was in a motionless heap, half covered by a duvet.

The sun shone through the translucent blue shawl covering the window, giving the room a drab and somewhat depressing tone. Applejack walked over to the bed, Granny Smith wasn't breathing, so the whole act of checking the old mare's heart that Applejack performed was symbolic at best, for she already knew what had happened. Maybe doing something that suggested uncertainty would help the earth pony escape the crushing finality of knowing she had lost a family member. Applejack didn't particularly know how to feel, she knew that Granny Smith was very old, and so she had tried to resign herself to the fact that the aged mare's time was likely to be soon. However no matter how she had tried to prepare, nothing could have braced her against the sight.

It was such a deviation from Granny Smith's natural state of being; she was usually so vibrant, even if she did sleep most of the time. However now she was at the most base state of being, a simple physical presence, all she could do was occupy space now. She looked just as if she was asleep, when this day came Applejack was somewhat hoping there would be limbs splayed, eyes rolled back and tongue lolling out of her mouth.

At least in such a situation it would not be so hard to grasp that there was nothing left of her grandmother in this cadaver. Maybe then she wouldn't be so inclined to shake the body, in hopes of retrieving the consciousness of her loved one, however Applejack knew that there was no subjectivity in death, one was alive or dead and Granny Smith was very much dead. Rather than even try to feel something, it was easier for Applejack to immediately throw herself in the administrative necessities of such an event. So she shouted down for her brother to come up, and she cursed under her breath when it became apparent Applebloom had decided to tag along.

"Can you please go and wait downstairs sugarcube?" Applebloom immediately looked annoyed, she hated it when her siblings treated her like a child, despite the fact that she very much was one. But she still trudged back down the stairs regardless. Applejack filled her brother in, and it seemed he didn't want to think about feelings so soon either. They both distracted themselves by developing a plan of action, and wasted no time putting it into effect. When they re-joined Applebloom, both had put on a brave face, the orange mare had asked her brother to do so, more for the youngest member of the apple family than anything else. He left the house and began to trek to ponyville, he would need to alert the hospital and get them to send an ambulance cart as they had discussed. However the unfortunate job of telling the youngest family member fell to AJ. Applejack sat with her sister and tried to explain, telling her that her Granny was in a better place called heaven now. Applebloom seemed to inadvertently make the whole experience worse by asking questions like,

"When will we be able to visit Granny Smith?"

"Applebloom, Granny Smith is an angel now; do you know what an angel is?"

"They told us in school, when somepony is finally at peace, they become an angel, and they go to a place that only angels can,"

"Well sugarcube you, Big Mac and I aren't angels yet, so it's gonna be a while before we can see her again." Applebloom looked her in that way that only a child could, a look so full of naivety and innocence; tears were now welling up around her sparkling amber eyes.

"I don't want Granny to go,"

"Me neither Applebloom, but folk have to go, otherwise there could never be any new ponies, like you, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,"

"Is she happy?"

"Always remember Applebloom, Granny Smith is very happy where she is, she had a great, long life, and one day, we'll all see her when we're angels too."

* * *

Applejack remembered when Big Mac had come back he was riding on the ambulance cart; the orderlies had been very quick, in and out of the house. Applebloom had asked why there was a sheet covering Granny Smith, Applejack hadn't the heart to answer her. She had protected her sister, and that was some comfort, but from there on in, even after clearing the table Applejack knew there would always be an empty space at the table, along with a cold untouched dish of porridge.

Against the wishes of the mayor, who wanted a large funeral for ponyville's oldest resident and last surviving founder, Applejack decided upon a smaller and more personal service, for family members only. Her friends had all come to be there for her, and it turned out to be one of the last times they would all be together. The mighty airship stirred, and began to rise from the docking station, Applejack gripped onto the sides for dear life, and wished she had gone to her cabin instead of staying out here on the deck to reminisce.

The ground got further and further below her, it took all of her conviction not to vomit. She turned around, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had descended into the bowels of the ship, whereas Rarity and Fluttershy had remained outside. The unicorn had simply plonked herself on the deck, and Fluttershy was simply standing still, looking at nothing in particular. Applejack's nausea showed no sign of subsiding; she often got this feeling when experiencing intense fear or worry. Applejack could recall well how such a feeling had presented itself another time, when Mr Scuttersby came to visit.

* * *

It had returned to normal pretty soon after the funeral, in fact it seemed that Granny Smith's whole life had been wrapped up nicely with a bow. It was uncomfortable for Applejack, she would be working the fields and due to it, she would feel cold and callous, as if she should be spending every second mourning rather than getting on with her life. However the fields were the only places she had to mourn, her and big mac had made a pact not to upset Applebloom, and of course excessive weeping would do just that.

So when she went out into the sprawling orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, it was good to take the opportunity to have a cry. However one morning she never got the chance, something, or rather somepony interrupted. There was a knock at the door, or three to be exact, three knocks all the same duration and intensity, all with the same delay in between. Applejack thought nothing of it as she trotted over to the door and opened it,

"Well howdy there-"

"Please spare me the country bumpkin welcome," The pony who had so rudely interrupted Applejack wasted no time in trotting past her into the house, but what struck the orange mare wasn't his rudeness or the fact that he had just barged into their home. It was how dull he looked, he was a light brown stallion with a light brown mane, he had light brown eyes and his cutie mark was simply a clip-board. He had taken a seat on the settee, and before Applejack could even think about asking what was going on he began to talk.

"Miss Applejack I just want to clear up a couple of things then I'll leave this…place,"

"Well I'm sorry sir, my family and me don't want to be dealing with stuff like this right now, you see a month ago-"

"Your grandmother died, did she not?" Applejack was speechless; the uncaring way in which he talked about Granny Smith's passing was unnerving to say the least. It was not until she realised he was looking at her expectantly that she shook off of her surprise and answered in the affirmative.

"My name is Mr Scuttersby, I am a solicitor and I was assigned to deal with your grandmother's affairs. I was looking over your grandmother's files and it seems there is a discrepancy,"

"A what-now?" Scuttersby sighed; he put more effort into that sigh than he had his whole visit to sweet apple acres so far, it just screamed 'condescension'.

"A 'problem', your grandmother didn't leave anything to anyone formally. She just wrote 'I leave all me effects to me family and nopony else!' on a sheet of paper, she then signed it, folded it and put it in a folder called 'will'. After that she sent it to us some years ago, to be opened on the event of her death."

"So why are you here?"

"Miss Applejack I will leave as soon as you tell me who will be taking on her debts,"

"Debts?" The stallion sighed again, as if the very effort of explaining such a thing was a monumental waste of his supposedly valuable time.

"Miss Applejack, I have met many ponies who try this trick, and I assure you, pretending you don't know will not get you out of paying the debts left behind by your deceased family member," Even if she wanted to, Applejack was just in too much shock to answer the impatient stallion whom was now tapping his hoof on the floor repeatedly. It was by virtue of her common sense, her knowledge that she was in charge of the farm that allowed her to answer with a shaky,

"I'll be paying,"

"Good, if you can just sign here I'll give you a report of the current payments and I can get out of here." As if on autopilot, Applejack scrawled her signature on the bureaucrat's clipboard, thus giving him his much desired prompt to leave her quaint abode.

"If you stop by the bank tomorrow, we can work out a payment programme." And then, with a snobbish flick of his tail, Mr Scuttersby left. Applejack didn't come round properly for a couple of minutes; her mind was too busy to even contemplate trying anything physical. Applebloom hadn't attended the funeral, they didn't want to upset her, and such a mentality had become commonplace at sweet apple acres. She and Big Macintosh had told their sister so many times that Granny Smith was happy, that it was a good thing and that she was free from the stress of farm life and her old, failing body.

They had even managed to get her to smile, despite the fact that she would never see her Grandmother again, or at least until she too became an 'angel'. However Applejack wasn't too sure that she even believed anything like that anymore, in a world of constant death and renewal, Twilight's analytical and scientific nature seemed a more appealing standing. But to the original point, for her sister's sake, Applejack hadn't cried in front of her, she didn't want to at all, and these little episodes of seemingly unbearable grief provided ideal practise to suppress her tears.

However, as she sat in silence, it wasn't only grief today, but it was misunderstanding, it was anger, it was betrayal. Her own granny didn't trust her enough to tell her they were in debt, more to the point, how on earth did such an old pony work up a debt of… it was then she realised she hadn't even peeked at the sheet of paper left by her uptight visitor. Applejack rose and picked up the sheet, it seemed Granny Smith had paid back 1,965 bits, out of … Applejack almost fainted. 167,768 bits of debt, they were in 167,768 bits of debt. How in Equestria did Granny Smith even work up a debt like that? There was literally no way that they would ever pay that back, it would fall to Applebloom after Applejack was gone, it was a certainty.

The worst part was how quick the whole procedure had been, a ruthless and surgical operation. Scuttersby would be fine, he would go home and be absolutely fine tonight, but Applejack's entire world had just been uprooted and slung aside. Never before had Applejack had such bad feeling for a member of her family, let alone one that had passed on, yet still she felt such…bitter indignation. Granny Smith had known about this, until the day she died she had known that this enormous burden would fall to her eldest granddaughter.

Maybe feeling the anger was the best thing, maybe riding it out was natural, because more than anything she wanted to vent, to just let out this fury and sorrow and grief and pain. However the door flung open, Applebloom and her friends burst in, telling Applejack about more cutie-mark plans, Applejack couldn't vent, because after all, it would mean showing to Applebloom her pain at the constant and unrelenting injustice of the whole rotten situation. She may not be perfect, but Applejack was a good sister, so it was for that reason that she plastered a fake smile across her face, listened intently to her sister, and pretended everything was fine.

The next day Applejack made her excuses to her brother, it was some feeble story about the market or something, she couldn't really remember. On the bureaucrat's advice, Applejack was going to visit the bank to work out a payment programme for the massive debt she had found herself in. 'Ponyville Bank – "Because Banking your Bits is Brilliant!" Read the sign on top of the large building. It was painted the same gold as Equestria's currency, and it seemed to shimmer slightly in the light of the sun.

Applejack walked in; usually her activities here were just confined to handing over some bits and signing a couple of papers, and so it was unsurprising that she didn't know where to go for this supposed 'advice'. She looked at the signs above the different kiosks, one read 'inheritance and family finance', so she figured this was the place to go. The queue was slow moving; the endless clacking and pinging of type-writers rang out incessantly, while the lines of disinterested looking ponies crawled along at a snail's pace. A good twenty minutes later Applejack finally found herself at the kiosk, where a bored looking mare was typing,

"Beg pardon, but I was told to come here to work out a debt payment programme," Literally as soon as Applejack finished speaking the woman handed her a slip of paper and pointed to a door about ten feet away. There were no words exchanged, no eye contact occurred, and before she could even react the pony behind her tapped her flank impatiently. Applejack glared at the stallion, and trotted up to the door. After entering Applejack was met with the most surreal sight she had ever experienced. Around fifty ponies, all clacking away on typewriters sat in identical cubicles, all the stallions were wearing white shirts and black ties, whereas the mares were all wearing white blouses. They were all somewhat in unison, the noise of the door opening and closing earned a lazy glance from everypony in the room.

All of them looked up, held the glance for a second, and then got back to what they were doing; Applejack actually thought they could all be clockwork models for a moment considering how in time they had all been. Some of the workers were engaged in conversations with ponies just like Applejack, they looked anxious and somewhat frightened, almost certainly due to the probably massive-debts they were negotiating. Applejack looked at her slip of paper, it had a desk number and a name of it, apparently she was to see a mare named Spring Sun at cubicle 28. Applejack trotted slowly through endless throngs of desks until she came to the correct cube.

"Miss Applejack?" There was a dark magenta pony inside, she was a similar colour to Cheerilee, she was wearing that same, God-awful white blouse as all the other mares. Applejack gave a shaky nod,

"Oh good, I was told you would be coming." Considering that everyone in this room was to an extent, just a different coloured clone of the next pony, Spring Sun spoke sympathetically; Applejack was expecting her to talk in one monotonous drone. However from her facial expression, it seemed that the mare knew the circumstances of Applejack's visit. But no matter how friendly she seemed, Applejack couldn't shake the feeling a feeling of crushing dread, she might as well be marching to her death. Despite the hushed and sympathetic tones Spring Sun spoke in, Applejack knew this was the start of the grand crescendo to a symphony that had been playing without her knowledge for a long time.

* * *

One hoof after the other, that was the thought process Applejack had adopted. She dragged herself along the railing toward the staircase into the bowels of the ship; all she wanted now was just to lie under the duvet in her cabin until this infernal ride was over. She eventually reached the stairs, and she tentatively trotted down, taking each step one at a time. Applejack got to room 62, and thus had to uncomfortably fumble around in her saddlebag until she could find the key. Standing up in something you're utterly terrified of was hard enough, but when you had to do something precise like open a door, the whole ordeal becomes comparable to medieval torture.

Applejack finally got the infernal thing open and more or less collapsed on the bed. She would have ideally liked to sleep, but every tiny inch that the airship moved was like a personal threat to fall out of the sky. However the main problem in the way of peaceful rest was the thoughts swimming about in her mind. Over and over she replayed that day…that bucking day in her head and that bucking conversation with Big Mac. She cursed her short sightedness, her haste and lack of judgement. It had been the beginning of the end, for her family, for her friends, the symbolic ticking clock started then. She couldn't help but laugh in contempt at her own pathetic 'reasons' for doing it, the sheer idiocy of thinking it was the best for her family, and how wrong time proved her.

* * *

Living like an animal for months could change one's perspective in life. Spring Sun, the financial adviser who drafted this repayment plan had said to her,

"With your income you should be able to repay the debt in 24 years, 30 tops and with a comfortable income left." That had been what she'd said, however, considering their situation Applejack strongly doubted that their definitions of comfortable were at all similar. They had fallen behind on their other bills, water being the most expensive commodity and therefore the most problematic.

They had been cut off, plain and simple, nothing came out of the taps anymore. Every time they turned them, an uncomfortable groaning sound came from the pipes, but there was never any water. So they had had to resort to dragging large basins out into the yard, and dragging them in after it rained. Big Mac had taken a night job as a street cleaner; however he was still needed in the fields during the day. Large bags had appeared under his eyes, reminiscent of the make-up he wore last nightmare night. He had to balance his free time, the term free being used in its loosest terms, between eating the cheap food Applejack had bought, and getting the literal bare minimum of sleep a pony could function on.

Applebloom was suffering too, her coat was matted and her mane was getting greasy, the scarcity of water had made washing a luxury, and something that the poor Apple family couldn't afford to do often. However the filly was safe with Applejack's excuse that it was just due to months of poor harvest, and not because of her Grandmother's excessive debt. Applejack had searched and searched through every official looking document in Sweet Apple Acres but to no avail, she just couldn't find out what Granny Smith had spent all those bits on, she had absolutely no idea how such a quaint old mare could work up such a massive bill.

Granny Smith did not have expensive tastes, in fact Applejack had seldom seen her wear anything other than her old neckerchief, and that had been home-made. However the old mare had managed to get the apple family into this horrendous situation. Applejack would be lying if she said she didn't somewhat resent her grandmother for all of this. They were farmers, they were quite well off due to the fact that everyone knew and loved Apple Family products, they were a staple of ponyville, but they simply didn't make enough to pay off this towering sum of bits. Applebloom was the key in this situation; it was her that was defining how Applejack handled everything. More than anything, more than happiness for herself, or for her older brother, Applejack just wanted her sister to have a good life. Not one that was shaped by the constant threat of being in the red, Applejack needed to protect Applebloom, she felt more mother than sister to the little filly.

So maybe it was the hunger, maybe it was the filth in her coat and around the house and farm. Maybe it was seeing Big Mac drag himself around like a zombie, maybe it was her growing resentment of her late grandmother, but one day an idea simply entered the orange earth pony's head. She could sell the farm…they got at least one offer a month, it wouldn't be hard to find a buyer. They could pay off the debt, even make some profit in the process, they could but a house in Ponyville, get jobs, and start life anew. At first she had simply disregarded the idea as lunacy, but as time went on and the squalor of their abode intensified, the idea grew and grew, latching onto every thought like a parasite.

The farm was just a location at the end of the day, however her family, that did mean something. Would it even matter, as long as they were together, as long as the family didn't break up? Big Mac had just passed out a couple of times, he had been applebucking, and he had literally just passed out from sheet exhaustion. Applejack had lost count of the times that Applebloom had returned home crying from the cruel taunts of her school-mates. They tortured her for her unclean appearance, the fact that she had to use a bow with three holes in it because a new bow was something that the Apple family couldn't afford. Finally, as the ponies she loved broke down around her, Applejack decided to put forward her idea. They were having dinner and Applejack politely asked to talk to Big Mac in private, he stared at her with his lifeless eyes for a second, before nodding slowly. He trudged after her into the adjoining room, and listened disinterestedly as Applejack began to talk. But as soon as she made her proposal, Big Mac snapped right out of his waking-coma.

"AJ have you gone crazy, we can't sell up here, we just can't. Sweet Apple Acres has been in our family for generations, it's a part of us."

"Big Mac have you seen us, unless we want Applebloom weighed down by somepony else's debt for her whole life, we're gonna be living like this for years!" She spoke in harsh whisper, much quieter than shouting but the overall effect was more or less the same.

"We can make do," he insisted, however Big Macintosh no longer sounded so sure of himself.

"We can't! We can't live like this Big Macintosh, the pigs have it better!"

"Well what do we do AJ? If we sell this farm, pack up shop and move what do we do then? We're apple farmers, and nothing's gonna change that!"

"What does it matter, as long as it's me, you and Applebloom would it really be so bad if we're not apple-bucking all day. I can get a job easily, you're good with all them fancy mathematics, I'm sure you could make a good amount of bits." Big Mac considered this, before shaking it off and retorting.

"This farm started off as just two acres of ground, since then the Apple family have made it bigger, we built and we grew, it's a part of us AJ!"

"What about Applebloom, we either live in filth for decades until we pay this off, or we half pay it and let the debt go to her? Is that what you want?" Big Mac faltered slightly, looking after her had fallen to he and Applejack, and it was their duty to make sure she grew up happy and safe. He and Applejack hadn't had the greatest upbringings; their parents had passed on when they were still very small. They had had to work hard on this farm; they endured poverty as Sweet Apple Acres struggled with the demands of the growing town.

Eventually ponyville had lost faith in the tiny output of the sweet apple acres, although it was more like just an acre back then. Granny Smith had clawed their way back, and eventually they were living comfortably. But by then, Applejack and Big Mac's childhoods were behind them, all lost in a haze of poverty and misfortune. He remembered how awful those times were, and as long as he had breath in his body Big Mac would not let Applebloom befall the same fate. That being said, his sister's proposal seemed comparable to a cardinal sin.

"Granny Smith brought this farm back to the brink, we owe her for where we are today," he tried to convince her one final time.

"And look Big Mac, look where we are now." It looked as if they had both spent the last few nights in the Everfree Forest, they were dishevelled and exhausted. Big Mac had to assign most of his energy just to keep himself standing, and Applebloom had come home crying again today. Even though he hated the idea of losing Sweet Apple Acres, he had to admit, this was no life. Big Mac glowered at her, before trotting unsteadily back into the dining room to finish his unsubstantial gruel, leaving Applejack alone, with only the sound of wind and their old creaky house for company.

* * *

Applejack remembered, almost exactly a month later Big Mac had approached her in the fields. They were trying to harvest crops; however they had little success in those last days at Sweet Apple Acres. Poverty made poverty alike, no money for proper food meant no energy, no energy meant not being able to apple-buck and farm well, then that led to a lack of money which in turn meant they still couldn't get any proper food. A vicious circle if there ever was one. The sun had been getting to her that day, and so in her eyes Big Mac was nothing more than an over-large crimson blur that trotted unevenly toward her. She had steadied herself against a tree, and when he got near, he had looked into his sister's eyes with concern. Applejack had looked back and he had finally come into focus so she gave him a weak smile. Big Mac had simply gave her a small nod, and said,

"OK." He hadn't needed to clarify; Applejack had known exactly what he meant. They had solemnly marched back home, to tell Applebloom and to make preparations. To this day Applejack never knew what pushed Big Mac over the edge, maybe it was the same as her, maybe he wanted to protect the youngest of the Apple family. Maybe he was just pushed over the edge by the lack of food and water, maybe he had hated to see Sweet Apple Acres falter and falter as the months went by. Whatever the reason, Applejack's brother had finally consented that day. After he had agreed to Applejack's proposal, finding a buyer had been easy as she had predicted. A neat sum of money was agreed upon, one that would get them out of debt, and they had enough to buy a house in the village. Applejack picked out a cottage that lay almost slap-bang in the middle of the carousel boutique, sugarcube corner, the library, Fluttershy's cottage and Rainbow Dash's cloud home.

Big Mac looked for work, he may not have enjoyed it but he had a natural way with numbers, work was eventually easy to find for him. Applejack on the other hand was a natural athlete; she negotiated a position as a trainer to the Ponyville hoofball team. Of course both siblings had preferred their normal line of work but at the end of the day it got them money, or at least it would when they started. All of that had been fairly straightforward, what was difficult was telling Applebloom; she had run off crying when they first told her. Eventually they were able to tell her it was for the best and that she would still be near her friends. It hadn't worked as well as they'd hoped, she had resented them for weeks, she spent most of her time sulking in the CMC clubhouse. However, as with her two siblings Applebloom eventually just learned to stomach the change, a reluctantly accepted apathy washed over her, thus getting rid of any fight on the matter.

Applejack looked out onto the Equestria from the porthole of her cabin again. She recently learned that 20% of all of Equestria's privately owned ground was used for agriculture. With statistics like that Applejack could justifiably conclude that a lot of what she could see out of the mighty airship was farmland. Pastoral farms, orchards, vineyards, anything you could think of and there was a good chance it was down there. Applejack wouldn't see her farm, she didn't have one anymore. And she thought, scratch that, she knew that she would have not felt such a stabbing sensation of emotional pain at that, if she hadn't looked in Granny Smith's room that one final time.

* * *

"Applebloom make sure you have everything you want to keep, we can't come back after today," the filly just sighed,

"I know AJ, you've told me seven times now." She trotted out of the house and threw her small case onto the carriage outside. They had already transported items like furniture to their very-soon-to-be new home. Applejack didn't want to keep the carriage driver waiting for too long, so the three apples had used last night as a goodbye. They had all sat around for a proper meal, and said a prayer for Granny Smith, which was honestly mainly for Applebloom. In light of recent events Applejack didn't know if she was quite ready to pray for her grandmother yet. They had then had a walk around the house, it was bare, all the heirlooms and old settees that once filled the place were sitting in an unfamiliar cottage in Ponyville.

Applejack was happy about that; she didn't think she would have been able to bear the sight of their old home in its full glory knowing they'd be gone the next morning. The evening had been topped off with a last walk in their orchard; they had an Apple-bucking contest and sat out under the inky night sky on a blanket. Finally they had lit a fire in the living room fireplace, they didn't have a sofa to sit on but they had each other. This all may have been Applejack's idea but that didn't mean she was at all happy about it. She had sold the farm, for money to pay for the ridiculous spending habits of a dead mare. Applejack new as well as Big Macintosh that this wasn't the way the Sweet Apple Acres legacy should've ended.

They had worked all of their lives, their family was the whole reason Ponyville existed, they had the best apples in all of Equestria, they had earned something glorious. But as with most things, it had ended not with a bang; to be honest it would be generous to call this a whimper. She was an apple-bucker at heart and no amount of coaching would change that, however with two separate salaries that couldn't be slashed by whether it rained or not (a part of farming she would not miss) they would be well off. Applejack could at least comfort herself with the idea that this was best for her family. She had visited Mr Scuttersby as soon as the payment came through and cleared the debt.

Things were going to get better now, she knew that, they could stop living like animals and start living like ponies again. Big Mac could get a proper night's sleep for the first time in months and those horrible little foals at school would leave Applebloom alone. They may not be apple-buckers now, but they were still the apple family, they would still live together. They'd still eat meals together and laugh together, and all in all, that was more important than a farm ever could be It may not have felt like it but Applejack knew she had done a good thing, she told herself again and again that there was no need to feel guilty, and it was true, after all she was the element of honesty.

"AJ, the driver's having a cigarette so it'll be a few minutes," Big Mac's calm voice snapped Applejack out of her thoughts. She nodded with a weak smile, Big Mac did the same. It had gotten somewhat uncomfortable between them since she had first raised the idea of selling the farm. She hoped that on the day that it all happened, they may be able to put all of this aside, but considering this exchange it seemed unlikely.

"I'm just gonna…" She gestured up the stairs, and again Big Mac just nodded. Applejack trotted up to the first floor, as she went she noticed a creak on the penultimate step, she had barely ever paid that creak any attention and for some reason she now felt that she would miss it. Applejack had come up mainly just to avoid more uncomfortable quasi-conversation with her brother, but she noticed her Grandmother's bedroom door. Applejack didn't know what drew her, what allure caused her to go in, but she attributed it to the want to see everything one last time.

She had seldom been in her since the morning that… that started all of this. She found too many uncomfortable and painful feelings arose when she tried to cross the threshold. Everything was in more or less the same condition as it always had been, same bed, same furniture, and same neckerchief hanging on the back of the door. They had originally planned to take Granny Smith's things with them, but they had decided against it. Granny Smith belonged on the farm, she had lived here and died here, and she would be here forever. However they had all taken a memento, Big Mac had taken her old battered recipe book, and Applebloom had taken her diaries.

Applejack had taken…nothing, it occurred to the earth pony right then and there that she hadn't taken a single item to remember her grandmother by, did she even want to? In light of the mess the apple family were in, Applejack had to ask herself whether forgetting was the right choice. Granny Smith had worked up over a hundred thousand bits of debt in secret, and until the day she died she made no attempt to tell Applejack. The orange earth pony slumped on the bed, there was a framed picture stood up on the bedside table. Applejack had a hoof round Granny Smith, and was giving trademark wink to the camera.

Granny smith on the other hand had a contented smile on her face, as if just being with her granddaughter was enough to keep her happy. Applejack remembered that day well, Granny Smith detested new tech so they had to stand in place for an hour while the picture was taken with what was essentially an antique. She had chosen to wink and then realised her mistake, she couldn't risk the image being blurry so she had to keep one eye closed for the duration. Applejack laughed warmly at the memory; by the time the photo was done she wasn't able to open her eye properly.

She picked up the framed picture, and immediately felt something on the back of it. There was a piece paper, it felt old and creased, and it had an immediate dusty texture. It was wedged into the back four corners of the frame and it looked like it had been there for some time, so Applejack delicately removed it and unfolded it, taking extra care not to damage it. It was in Granny Smith's writing, she believed in using the quill in her mouth and not using any fancily designed horse-shoes for the act. However a lifetime of 'mouth-writing' had made her script elegant, and dignified. Considering her odd mannerisms many ponies just assumed she had written in a childish crayon-scrawl. However she delicately curled her letters, each word looked like a separate piece of art. Applejack began to read the letter, sounding out sentences in her head in Granny Smith's strong country accent.

_Dear Applejack, _

_I put this here letter behind that there photograph of me and you so you'd be the one to find it. Now don't get me wrong, Applebloom's got plenty of heart, and that brother of yours may be quiet but he's a sharp one, but I knew who was going to run this farm. Ever since you could buck a tree, your parents and I knew that you were a real apple-farmer. And they were so proud Applejack, right up until the day they died your parents loved you, and Applebloom and Big Mac. You won't be reading this while I'm still here, but I know that you will be reading it soon. A pony can tell Applejack, the odd ache and pain, I can't stay awake much, I can move less and less as the days go by. But I'm not sad about it Applejack, I've accepted it, and I don't want you three to be sad either. _

_I know the bank will be calling the minute I'm gone, and I know that I owe you an explanation. Sweet Apple Acres is a big farm AJ, and it wasn't built overnight. When my parents built the farm house, and cleared the land, and planted the seeds, we had to spend every bit we had and more. It seemed like every bit of profit we made went straight to the bank, but we stuck at it, and we knew as long as we had our family, and we stayed put on the farm, we would get through it. Ponyville was built around us we became a staple of its folk, everyone knew us, but when you and your brother came, your parents were so busy taking care of you, they couldn't work the farm, We had such a small farm back then Applejack, and while we took care of two young ponies, we lost more and more money._

_ So one day, we decided enough was enough, I don't suppose you'll remember how little Sweet Apple Acres was back then, it was so bad you've probably blocked it out but we bought more land, and that fancy barn, and all the buildings around the farm. Your parents and I were spending bits that we didn't have AJ, and we knew that it would mean we would be in debt for the rest of our lives. But we planted on the new land, and we used the new buildings, and we started making money again. But then Applebloom came, and your parents passed on in that terrible accident. With their help, it would have taken years but we could have paid back the money, but suddenly it was just me, with two children and a new-born foal to look after by myself. I realised then that the debt would probably pass to you when I passed on, but I knew that you'd be able to deal with it AJ. _

_You're strong, you always have been, you've always done right by your family, and I knew that would never change. We had to work hard, I remember how hard it was, you, Big Mac and I had to pour every free minute into the land. I remember when you left after it got too much, but you came back, and we made our lives better again. When you came back to the farm, I knew you'd be here for the rest of your days, you're an apple AJ, and nothing's going to change that. So I know it will be hard, and I know one day you'll have to tell Applebloom that she'll be shouldering this when you and Big Mac are gone. But if you stick at it, it will be easier again, if your parents and I didn't spend all of those bits we'd still be a tiny apple farm, but now we have the best apples in Equestria. We made the best out of a bad situation and we came out stronger, just as I'm sure you will. You'll always be an apple-farmer AJ, just as I hope the Apple family will always be here on Sweet Apple Acres. This is your home now AJ, don't ever forget that, don't ever take that for granted, because it may have cost us thousands, it may be old fashioned, but it was your family's, and now it's yours._

_All my love, now and Forever_

_Your Granny Smith._

Applejack set the old piece of paper down gently, and let the words soak in. Like one realises the pain of a cut slowly, the pain from what she had just read started off small, and then intensified. The picture of Granny Smith and Applejack on the bedside table now took a wildly different meaning. It was no longer a proud grandmother and her brood, rather a hero and her failure. She was a stupid little girl, a hasty, money obsessed little…_bitch. _Her reasoning for selling their home revealed itself to be in lack of any sense, or heart.

She would have Big Mac, and Applebloom, but Applejack wouldn't have her family with her as she had so wanted. A cold, taunting realisation gripped her, this farm was the link to her whole every apple, Granny Smith and her parents had lived and died here, and now they would be left behind. It seemed so right at the time; if they sold then they could rebuild their lives. And yet, every single possible justification was discredited by her grandmother's heartfelt words. She had packed up and left, taking the easiest way out, she hadn't stayed and fought as her Grandmother did all of those years ago, but she ran away, like the cowardly snake she was.

In her haste to find a quick fix to their problems, Applejack had chewed up and spat out the last wishes of a truly great mare, and that was the saddest thing of all. She had had the audacity to feel angry at Granny Smith, a good, pure mare who did her best to save her family, and this farm. Maybe if she had had the decency to come in here and not wallow in depression and misplaced anger, she could have found the letter faster. But she had simply rushed into selling their home, and only now did she see the numerous faults with her supposedly essential plan. Applejack took another glance at the picture, and then delicately slid it out of its frame. Applejack tore through it carefully, separating out the two mares, once she had done so she slipped the half with Granny Smith back into the wood and glass square.

Applejack looked at the half she now clutched in her hooves. There was an orange earth pony, the yellow toned vintage photograph didn't show colour, but Applejack knew the pony was orange. She also knew this mare was one of strict morals and integrity, sticking to an unwritten and yet time-honoured code. It was of decency and honesty, of sticking by your friends and family, and being selfless, of never losing sight of what was truly important and not being afraid to fight for it. That mare was called Applejack, and was in stark contrast to the sham that held her image. She had betrayed her family, she had been indecent, and she had most certainly lost sight of what was important.

More than that, this imposter had sold what was important, in a flimsy attempt to save her family, for all of her effort she had given them a house in exchange for a home. No, this mare who stood, shaking with semi-existent sobs was not Applejack, because Applejack would have done none of this. And yet, she still knew her grandmothers wishes, she slipped the torn half of the photo under the bed, that way AJ would still be on the farm, just as Granny Smith had intended. But not the Applejack who had performed the act, she would be leaving soon; the AJ who would be staying was the winking mare, who embodied her code. The last unspoiled and pure memory of her former self was where her Grandmother would want, and at least that was something she had done right.

"AJ, AJ?" She heard the gravelly voice of her brother shouting her; in a flash she slipped the picture of her grandmother along with her final note underneath the brim of her trademark Stetson. No sooner had the sound of hooves rung out on the landing; Big Macintosh poked his head around the corner.

"There y'are Applejack, we've been looking for you," she smiled, it felt good to be called that, even if she knew that she didn't deserve it.

"Are you ready to go?" The orange earth pony took a final look around the room, after what she'd just read, Applejack didn't want to go, not now and not ever, but prolonging the tragically inevitable served no good purpose.

"Yeah, come on Big Mac,"

"AJ wait," her brother called as she went to exit the room. Applejack turned around to be confronted with her brother's usually calm eyes, clouded with uncertainty.

"I've been thinking AJ, all this, I know you said it was for the best, and that it's being together that's important and not the farm but… do you think Granny Smith would understand?" And there it was, fate laughing in Applejack's face, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she told him the truth, all that would do would be hurt him, hurt him more than he already was. But the alternative was to lie; Applejack would have to point blank lie to her brother's face. But they were losing their home because of her, Big Macintosh was stressed enough already, he didn't need this. Applejack was the one who sold up, and she was the one who let down their family. This was her burden; it was her guilt to bear. It wasn't fair to make Big Mac or Applebloom shoulder this just to keep up her flimsy illusion of integrity, that had been lost with this farm. So for the first time without regret, the element of Honesty lied.

"I know she would Big Macintosh, you've got nothing to worry about," he smiled in response,

"Yeah, you're right, I was just being silly…should we be getting off now?"

"Yeah…come on," her voice almost cracked, however AJ was able to keep it disguised, she shook it off and trotted slowly out of the room with her brother, flicking the lights off as they left. She knew that today everything had changed, a feeling of aggressive and unrelenting guilt ate her up inside, and that would probably never change. But at the end of the day, if she could spare Big Mac and Applebloom from feeling what she felt, then at least AJ would be able to look herself in the mirror, she deserved to feel this way, but they didn't. She might have to lie, she may have to cheat, but she would just have to accept that, and do anything to make sure her siblings lived happily, she owed them that much.

* * *

To be honest I'm not 100% happy with this but I need to update now.

The next chapter will be Rainbow Dash.

Please read and review, but most of all enjoy.


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